It is advantageous for aircraft such as helicopters, for example to achieve total avionics systems control from a front and center instrument panel and console. This eliminates overhead and/or side instrument panels and provides an integrated arrangement for automated systems management, systems monitoring and status reporting for all of the avionics functions involved.
In an integrated arrangement as described, it is desirable to include multifunction indications or displays with "home" pages for primary parameter display, but with selectable additional pages for use in conjunction with keys disposed around the display for avionics control and management.
Moreover it is desirable to incorporate a wide scope of pilot assist functions into a single integrated arrangement for pilot convenience.
Further, for reasons of simplifying hardware implementations, it is frequently desirable to combine symbol generation, display and mission processing with multiplex bus control in a single processing arrangement. The use of multiplex bus communication between elements of the system also provides implementation economy over conventional distributed interconnection wiring.
Finally for system failure survivability, functional redundancy and means for system reversion must be maintained.
Such organization of the controls and displays, and the extensive use of cockpit automation, is especially useful in reducing crew workload when the nature of a mission and the operation of the mission equipment is time consuming of the crew, or when a goal is to reduce the number of crew members.
Accordingly, it is the object of this invention to accommodate the above features by providing a novel arrangement including, in combination, a multiplex bus and associated control and display means, to provide an integrated control and display arrangement for avionics system management.